Weisshorn, von Montana aus gesehen, 1915

CommentaryThis depiction of a lake landscape with a view of the Weisshorn and the surrounding mountains belongs to a group of paintings made in the Wallis spa town of Montana between August and September 1915, a place Holder often visited in this period in order to paint. The composition is graphically structured and makes nature appear well-ordered. In a strictly parallel manner, foreground, middle ground and background succeed one another, leading the viewer's gaze over the broad surface of the lake to the mountains rising behind. The doubling of mountains and clouds, justified as reflections in the water, also contribute to an impression of calculated order. With a compositional concept based on symmetry, pattern and graphic order, Holder succeeded in transferring the traditional veduta into a modern landscape painting. At the same time, the lake landscape gains a new quality as a metaphor for a spiritual art of cosmic harmony.